Ex-flight attendant's home burglarized

NEW YORK, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- The home of former JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater was broken into by the brother of his live-in boyfriend, officials in New York allege.

Authorities allege Jonathan Rochelle, 39, stole several items from the home Slater shares with Kenneth Rochelle, the New York Post reported Wednesday.

Slater drew international attention when he quit his JetBlue job by deploying a rescue slide on a plane in New York City in August. Slater, who briefly became a sort of hero for disgruntled workers, was in court facing charges in the JetBlue incident when the alleged burglary took place, the newspaper said.

Rochelle was charged with burglary for allegedly taking a laptop computer, a printer and power cord belonging to Slater. Authorities said he lives just blocks from the home his brother shares with Slater.

Slater pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted criminal mischief Tuesday for his actions on the aircraft.

Asked about his brother's alleged theft, Kenneth Rochelle said, "We're good."

The brothers' father wasn't so kind.

"I was just on the phone with him -- he called me to make bail," Robert Rochelle, 69, said. "But I'm not gonna do it. I'm disappointed in him."

Slater was scolded by Queens District Attorney Richard Brown, who said deploying the plane's emergency slide could have injured or even killed, crews working on the tarmac.

"In spite of the fact that many had treated the defendant as somewhat of a folk hero ... deploying the escape chute from a passenger-filled aircraft was no laughing matter," Brown said. "It could have resulted in serious injury, perhaps even death, to the passengers or workers on the tarmac."